We had the good fortune of connecting with Aren Makau and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Aren, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I choose my career, because I believe we are all creatives from the inside, it just took sometime to find what I can do best. I’m a firm believer in servant-leaderhsip. To have the opportunity to provide the best hour of everyone’s day while also partaking in that hour is a joy.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I came to this point on this untraveled road, through the openness and kindness of my friend Noelle. After seeing my love for sports and fitness she extended an invitation to try out CrossFit Kivnon. After 1 workout I was excited about the possibility of joining a new community. I came to meet my now friend and first mentor J.C.. Then owner of CrossFit Kivnon, he saw something in me that lit a fire in my belly, something made me nervous, but more importantly something that made me courageous. Which was the ability to deliver the CrossFit methodology through coaching and guiding athletes on what it means to achieve fitness in 100 words. From that point on the goal never changed, the road was rocky, and my desires to be better steadfast. I quickly surpassed my CrossFit Level 1 and 2 certifications. Each course challenged me in a way that brought to light my faults in the effort and hope to refine my ability to make an impact in my community. That brings us to today. The goal remains the same, my tool box to handle the rocky roads more equipped than before, my will of fire all the more stronger than before. As a coach of fitness I set out to make my athletes goals my own, not letting the highs be to high and the lows be to low. This mindset allows me to be most proud of the goals my athletes set for themselves. With each day representing an opportunity to be better than the last.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
San Diego truly is a gem of a city. One week isn’t enough time to see it all. If I had to pick these are some of my must see/must do. First thing we would be visiting in Late August early September, when the weather is still good and the sun is up in the sky til 8pm, and the heat wave hasn’t hit just quite yet. First, we’re watching that sunrise on a morning walk coffee in hand. After this is followed up my a nice homemade breakfast spread of: eggs, sourdough with jam, fresh fruit, and your favorite protein of choice. Our time out begins with an early workout to set the mood for the day followed by a trip to La Jolla shores taking in the beach. Lunch will be at my favorite spot at the moment The Shack Kitchen and Coffee. Post Lunch we’ll find our way back to house to relax before the evening festivities. To end the day we’ll watch an evening Padres baseball game at Petco Park to watch the hometown friars bring home the win.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s a group of people who come to mind when I think about my support system. To my gym community, no single group holds me more accountable to the goals at hand. My best friends Dom and Ari who’ve been there since this journey started, thank you for supporting my every decision and being my sounding board. My girlfriend Kimmy for knowing to ask the right questions and for allowing me to take all the opportunities to become better. Last and certainly not least my family: Mom, Dad, and Andrew, for going the extra distance and providing the never ending love and support.
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